


Then Gently Rise, and Softly Call

by LeChatRouge673



Series: Cat's Song [3]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening
Genre: Angst, Found Family, Surrogate family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-16
Updated: 2017-05-16
Packaged: 2018-11-01 09:31:58
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,412
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10919088
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LeChatRouge673/pseuds/LeChatRouge673





	Then Gently Rise, and Softly Call

But since it fell unto my lot  
That I should rise and you should not  
I’ll gently rise, and softly call  
Good night, and joy be to you all.

-“The Parting Glass” as Performed by The High Kings

 

* * *

 

 

_8 Justinian, 9:21 Dragon_

Bryce Cousland was unapologetically a morning person. His wife, Eleanor, was decidedly not, nor were their children, but he did not begrudge them the few precious hours of extra sleep they claimed every morning while he padded quietly about the house. He enjoyed having the time to himself; sitting at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee and his newspaper, watching the sun rise over the sea. It was even better in the summer, when he could leave the windows open and allow the fragrant scents of Eleanor’s garden waft in on gentle breezes.

He stepped over to the kitchen counter and switched on the coffee maker, breathing deep as the brew churned and bubbled, producing the dark, rich elixir that would shake the last few cobwebs of the fade from his mind. When he turned, Bryce was surprised to see that he was not alone in the kitchen. There on the window seat, her knees pulled up to her chest and her eyes focused somewhere off in the distance, was his niece, Theadosia. She was still wearing her pajamas and her fiery red hair was loose in tangled waves. Clutched close to her chest was the stuffed bear Nathaniel had given her for her birthday a few months prior. ‘Teddy,’ she called him. Bryce wondered if the boy had realized how much the simple gesture had meant to the little girl.

_Probably all too well_ , he sighed to himself before pouring a mug of coffee and sitting at the kitchen table. Looking at his niece, he asked, “bad dreams again, little cub?”

“Is there any other kind?” Thea retorted, still looking out the window. Bryce gave her a small smile that he knew she couldn’t see. The little girl was exceedingly bright for her age, and even now he could tell she was going to end up breaking some hearts sooner or later, but she had suffered too much and for too long under the neglect of his wife’s sister and her husband. It had been heartbreakingly easy to convince the Trevelyan’s to let Thea come and live with the Couslands in Highever. Bryce and Eleanor loved the little girl as fiercely as their own, but the damage to her heart had already been done.

“Do you want to talk about it?” He asked her gently, knowing that there would be no use in trying to pry anything out of her that she wasn’t willing to share.

She shook her head, a frown set upon her little brow. Instead, she just inhaled deeply. “I like the way the coffee smells,” she explained. “It makes it easier to forget the nightmares.”

Bryce thought for a moment, then stood up and reached into the cupboard for another mug; his favorite, in fact. He poured it half full with coffee, then handed it to Thea. She looked at him uncertainly, but he just smiled. “Don’t you dare tell your aunt. She’ll skin me alive if she knew I was giving it to you.” This prompted a broad grin, and she took a tentative sip. As she did, the lines on her face faded and for the moment, she seemed almost at peace. They sat there together, quietly drinking their coffee and watching the sun rise over the horizon. Finally, his niece spoke up.

“I dreamt that I came home from school and everyone was gone,” she spoke in a flat tone, almost as though she were trying to distance herself from the memory. “You, Aunt Eleanor, Cat, Fergus… everyone. You all left me, because you decided you did not want me anymore. Just like Tiberius and Adaline.”

He sighed. Thea never referred to her parents by anything but their given names, and he could not blame her. They had certainly never acted as parents towards her. Bryce reached out a hand and wrapped it around Thea’s smaller one. “Theadosia, listen to me: we will _never_ abandon you, do you understand? Your aunt and I love you with all our hearts, and you know that Cat and Fergus do too. You will always have a home here, no matter what. We will _always_ be here for you.”

Thea met his eyes, the storm behind her own quieting for the moment. “You promise?”

“Pinky promise. Now, come on,” he stood and took her empty mug. “Let’s rinse these before Aunt Eleanor comes downstairs, ok?”

 

* * *

 

 

_17 Firstfall, 9:40 Dragon_

 

Theadosia Trevelyan Rutherford pulled her coat tighter around her shoulders, trying to block out the biting chill of the early winter wind. She had made the trip west alone this time; if she timed the flights right she would still be back in time for dinner and would be able to avoid any awkward questions from Cataline. Her footsteps rang out on the paved path leading up the hill until she veered off towards a pair of seedling trees that stood as silent sentries over a simple plaque. When she reached them, she stopped and sat upon the grass and pulled a metal thermos from her bag, as well as two familiar ceramic mugs. Thea poured the steaming coffee from the thermos into both mugs before taking a tentative sip of one. Then, she carefully poured the contents of the other into the ground just to the left side of the marker.

“Don’t tell Cat, ok Uncle Bryce?” She murmured, trying to keep her voice from shaking. “She thinks I drink too much of this stuff as it is. She’s probably right, but let’s not tell her that either.” Thea took another swallow of her own drink, allowing the peace and quiet of the cemetery to calm her mind. “She misses you, and I know she wants to visit, but… she just isn’t ready yet, you know? There’s been a lot going on, especially at work, and I think she’s been a bit overwhelmed.”

Thea looked out over the sea, much the same way she had on all those mornings when she had crept out of bed early and spent an hour at the kitchen window seat with her uncle, neither saying much at all, but just sitting and enjoying a cup of coffee before the rest of the house started to stir. Those mornings remained one of her most treasured memories.

“The nightmares aren’t as bad anymore, and I almost never lose my temper like I used to.” She tried to keep her voice cheerful, although she couldn’t be certain why. “Cullen helps. You were right about him, Uncle Bryce. He has been good for me. I’d like to think we are good for each other, but between you and me I think he got the worse end of the deal. As for the other thing… I think it is getting better. Anders says I am making progress, but that a relapse was not surprising after you…” Thea stopped short, her voice catching in her throat as her lips refused to form the final word in her thought.

“I’ll be ok, Uncle Bryce, I promise. And I’ll make sure Cat is ok too. I know you always worried about us, but we’ll be alright. I wish you were still here, you and Aunt Eleanor both. Every single day I wish you were here.” There were tears flowing down her cheeks now, but she was knew that there was no one there to see her cry, and for once Thea did nothing to hide them. These moments were hers, and hers alone: one of the few times she allowed herself to grieve. She sniffed, then continued the one-sided conversation.

“You’ll be pleased to know Teddy is well. Vivienne has promised me her seamstresses will have his new wardrobe finished by spring, and in the meantime they have already finished a rather dapper suit for Satinalia…”

Thea sat and talked for almost an hour, sipping her coffee and watching the sun sink lower in the sky. Then, she stood and gathered her things. Giving one final glance to the stone that marked the burial place of Bryce and Eleanor Cousland’s ashes, she turned and walked back down the hill.

It was time for her to return to the living. There were still battles ahead.

 


End file.
